Odd Girl Out
by Bob Everett
Summary: AU. Asakura decides to try a very involved way of getting a reaction out of Haruhi.
1. Chapter 1

Have you ever had that nagging feeling that something important was going to happen, and then it turned out wrong? I'm not one to believe in superstitions or anything like that, but a human's instinct should be something that's at least moderately trustworthy and when a feeling like that shakes your entire body it gets my attention.

That's why I found it quite strange when no one was waiting for me. I had received a note earlier that day, in my shoe locker requesting that I meet whomever the sender was in a particular classroom after club activities were over. Even though I had judged it to be some kind of stupid prank, I obliged and standing outside the aforementioned classroom that very afternoon, it was only then that I actually cared to wonder what the summons could possibly be about.

It wasn't a girl, that was for sure. My recent activities likely had trashed my reputation beyond recognition and I imagine those stains of infamy would follow me all the way to my grave. I didn't really want to think of what guys would ask me to drop into this scenario ripped right out of a love comedy.

Halting that train of thought, I opened the door and stepped inside. That's when the feeling hit, not exactly painful or sickly, but I felt its presence nonetheless. Wiping my eyes, I surveyed the room. Not a soul. What a lame prank.

I waited for an hour before leaving for home.

---

The next day was much of the standard routine. No surprise clothes-changing session, but a frantic afternoon of orders, arguing, and near fisticuffs. A lack of prank notes in my shoelocker brought an early departure from me, the desire for extrication from the Devil's Clubroom overwhelming any thoughts of my short-term punishment.

On the way home I spotted her. A subject of occasional conversation, yet remaining as a distant star as long as my afternoons were consumed by the brigade's activities.

"Yo!" I greeted. "Homeroom responsibilities keeping you busy?"

I jogged up to match her pace and she smiled, recognizing me. "No, actually. I was waiting for someone I needed to talk to."

"A friend?"

She nodded. "It was getting late and I thought it would still be quite a while before he left, so I started walking home."

"Why can't you talk to him at lunch or something? Is he an upperclassman?"

She laughed. "No, just a person whose club activities tend to get in the way of things. It's an interesting club, so I don't blame him. Well, since you managed to get out early, can I take a bit of your time?"

I shot her a thumbs up and a smile to match her own. "I've got all the time in the world."

---

We ended up walking to a park a few blocks down from where I live. She bought drinks and even though it offered me no place to set my juice down, we decided to hold our conversation at the swingset. Deep in my gut I still felt that something monumentally important had failed to occur yesterday, but honestly, that wasn't really important. This was the class representative. AA+, or so I've heard.

"First of all," she said. "I'd like to apologize for not meeting with you yesterday like I had requested. I was about to arrive, but then all of a sudden I felt queasy...it's so strange. Anyway, I went home immediately after that. I'm really sorry."

I raised up calming hands. "Don't worry about it. I wasn't doing anything anyway."

"The truth is, I need your advice."

"Oh?"

"I'm currently stuck in a very irritating position. Every day is passing by the same as always. Sure, there are responsibilites and other things to worry about but barring that there's nothing to distinguish one second from the next. Especially when I'm stuck in a non-active role, I feel like I'm going to explode out of frustration."

I sighed. "I know the feeling."

"That's why I think that some action needs to be taken. Even if it's not a guaranteed path of improvement, even if it may end up being for the worst. Isn't that much better than clinging to a stalemate?"

I nodded in agreement.

"Aha!" She smiled again. "I knew you would see it from my point of view. Now I'm glad that I didn't talk to you yesterday. I was going to kill you but I think this is better. Let's go out! Write down your cell phone number and give it to me."

A generation could pass and you wouldn't hear a confession like that.

"Okay?"

I did as requested, not being able to mask the confusion on my face.

"Good good! This is wonderful. This will surely be the thing to end this monotony." She snatched up the piece of paper and waved to me. "It's getting a little late so I should be off. See you tomorrow!"

I waved back weakly. "Okay." 


	2. Chapter 2

_Actually, ponytails turn me on._

It's a strange thought to have in your head without any context to explain its origin. Well, I can imagine that the origin was in fact myself but in regards to why that thought came to mind or what it's true purpose was, I didn't have a clue. It was only a simple inquiry at first, but every second I left my mind lingering on the subject I began to revolve around it as if magnetically attracted. No, scratch that. I was locked into orbit, my mind tripping over its own two feet, so to speak. The minutes continued to drag on and even though somewhere a small voice was wondering aloud when it would all end, it was drowned out by the raging torrent that had now built up.

It manifested itself as a massive red tornado, maintaining a passive position feet in front of me. Nervous chills ran up my back, the fear of it swallowing me up beginning to set in my body. From deep within a voice bellowed.

"Do you really like them? Really, really like them?"

It engulfed me and I howled.

I awoke on the floor of my bedroom, face down. I rolled over and opened my eyes. A throbbing sensation pulsated in my forehead, dulling my vision. A minute of rubbing my face and it died down.

"Yeah," I said aloud, staring at my hand. "I do."

---

The walk to school was an awkward one. As I slowly made the climb, a number of worries concerning yesterday were now only beginning to surface. First of all, the fact that Asakura is an enigma to me. My involvement in Haruhi's twisted plans up to this point had been hilt-deep. As such, I hadn't really managed to form anything other than passive, obligatory relationships with the rest of my classmates. That included Asakura, for the most part.

Secondly, the very nature of this rather spontaneous "confession" was confusing and downright strange. Was it a joke? What did she mean by, "I was going to kill you?" Am I the target of a classwide conspiracy?

Then the worst thought of them all: could she possibly be stranger than Haruhi?

I was so entangled in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice that her face was floating a few inches to the left of me. I let out a grunt of surprise and quickly hopped to the side.

"Asakura!" I blurted out.

"Jeez!" she pouted. "I've been saying 'good morning' over and over again for a couple of minutes now. I didn't think you were that rude."

"Sorry, sorry." I made an effort to appear relaxed. "I was just thinking about something."

"Oh? What were you thinking about?"

Well, now was as good a time to ask as any. "What did you mean yesterday when you said, 'I was going to kill you?'"

She stared at me blankly for a few moments before bursting into a fit of giggling. "You're worried about _that_? You're so funny, Kyon. I'm not going to kill you now. We're going out, after all."

An irrefutable argument. It didn't explain very much, though.

"Oh!" Asakura held up her wrist and glanced at her watch. "I still have to take care of homeroom duties. Sorry, I'm going on ahead again. See you in class!"

She ran ahead, leaving me trodding along at my relaxed pace. I didn't really understand why, but at the time I felt out of place in the world. Or maybe it was the world was out of place in relation to me.

---

As I passed through the school's front gate, Kunikida and Taniguchi were standing there. Were they waiting for me?

"See?" Kunikida said to Taniguchi. "They came seperately. It's just a silly rumor, that's all."

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Oh, Taniguchi heard a rumor that you and the class rep were going out."

"Ah, yeah." I shrugged. "Word sure gets around quickly."

Oh, their expressions were priceless. Taniguchi almost collapsed and Kunikida stared at me wordlessly. Well, I couldn't really help that they were gunning for her. She was an AA+ after all.

"Really?" Kunikida asked. "This isn't a joke or anything, Kyon?"

I put my hand over my heart. "I'm 100 serious."

"I knew it!" Taniguchi howled. "I saw it with my very own eyes but I couldn't believe it. Kyon and Asakura in the park, drinking juice together? There's no other explanation for it."

I frowned. "Saw it? What were you doing at that park?"

"Ah, well..." I could see him tense up. "I go to parks too. For walks."

"It's odd that you would go to a park that's half an hour further from the one that you live across the street from."

He fell into silence and I sighed. I never really thought it possible that one of my close friends would be a stalker. Taniguchi never seemed the otaku type. Can't judge a book by its cover, I suppose.

---

By lunchtime the two had recovered from the impact enough to carry on normal conversation. It was quite regrettable because their topic of choice seemed to revolve around the idea that my relationship with Asakura was factually impossible. Although I had spent my morning considering the very idea, it's definitely more aggravating to hear come from the mouths of two friends.

"Look Kyon," Taniguchi began. "You've got to look at the facts. She's an elite and you're a below average student caught up in a dead end club with absolute no future. Think about it for a second. Right out of high school it's off to a university for her and where you will be stuck? The escalator system works, but you just don't seem to be the type to put in the effort."

Kunikida nodded. "Your grades aren't particularly good. What rank are you? Bottom third?"

"Even if you did manage to put in the effort your relationship will have to take the backseat while you cram. Then, what happens when you get out of college? She'll likely be a higher-up at a corporation. Officer material right there. You? If you manage to avoid manual labor and land yourself something decent you'll at best be the lowest level office grunt. Looking even further into the future, if you manage to get married you'll live every day letting your masculinity die a little bit every day knowing that you aren't the breadwinner. Is that really what you want, Kyon? Aren't you a man?"

"Seriously Kyon, you should just forget about her and think about someone a little more realistic."

"You're hitting it off with Suzumiya anyway. She already has you on a leash so at least you can enter into the relationship without any manliness to bleed away."

A familiar voice entered the conversation. "Ah, that would certainly be a most satisfactory turn of events."

I turned to face the speaker. "Koizumi, what are you doing here?"

The ever-smiling face of the SOS Brigade's resident esper aroused a stranger feeling in me than usual. It wasn't just uneasiness. There was more weight to his presence today.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation," he said, "but there are grave matters which we must discuss."


	3. Chapter 3

Koizumi took me under the shade of a tree and offered me a seat. I accepted and prepared to deal with what I already had guessed would be a lengthy lambasting about poor judgement and the fate of the world. The smile faded from his face. He was looking at me with a dark expression now. It seemed a bit of a stretch for him, the contrast between his ever-present smile and his current look. I didn't know much about Koizumi, but it was still shocking.

After a brief moment of silence he opened his mouth. "I can't say I approve of this."

"Well," I said, "I didn't really expect you to."

"Although I already imagine that you regard this situation as insignificant compared to the fulfillment of your own misguided priorities, I will ask you this." He raised his head and met my gaze. "Do you comprehend what you are doing?"

I stood up. "Even though I was pulled into this, it definitely seems like a better use of time than looking for aliens. Think about it, Koizumi. You're in a dead-end club spending your afternoons playing board games and drinking tea. All the while, Haruhi is barking unreasonable orders from left and right. Even if your job is to keep her in check, aren't there better alternatives than putting up with her idiocy?"

"The continued existance of the world is my first priority."

"Then why can't you do anything about this?"

He sighed. "Unfortunately, this situation doesn't fall within the scope of my power."

I clenched a fist. "Then why do I have to change my life for Haruhi?"

"Must I repeat myself? You are the one chosen by Suzumiya-san. There is much that rests on your shoulders and though you were doing an adequate job of fulfilling your role up until this point, you are currently engaged in behavior that leads to either a fundamental change in the world or its untimely demise. Either outcome would be most unfortunate."

"Koizumi, I just want to live my life happily! Why does Haruhi's immaturity have to get in the way of that? The SOS Brigade has made my life miserable since it was created and now I'm finally wresting myself free of that pain."

"It is deeply regrettable that you refuse to bear the burden that you created for yourself."

I was a bit angry after that remark. What did I have to do with Haruhi's ridiculous machinations? "What? Look, I didn't start the club. I'm not the one feeding Haruhi these ideas and I am certainly not the one who complies with all of her requests with a smile plastered across my face."

His face fell and he had that dark look about him once again. "I hope you are willing to listen to what I'm saying. Even though Suzumiya Haruhi can be considered the creator of this world, she has no direct control over your actions. It's true that three years ago I was given these powers and then now suddenly I find myself here with you, Nagato-san, and Asahina-san. However, it was a decision of my own to accept Suzumiya-san's recruitment into the SOS Brigade."

I shrugged. "Good, you fit in perfectly. I, on the other hand, do not."

"Please let me finish, Kyon. Just like I continue to have free will regarding Suzumiya-san's decisions, you possess the same level of freedom. After all, it wasn't Suzumiya-san who approached you. On the contrary, it was you that decided to engage in conversation. Even with full awareness of her eccentric nature you continued on and on for how long, Kyon? One month? Two months? Then you give her the idea to start the SOS Brigade and after an even longer period of compliance we find ourselves in our present situation."

My left eye was twitching.

"So after analyzing all the evidence," he continued, "it is not unreasonable to come to the conclusion that the SOS Brigade is your creation and that your passionate desire to abandon it is, in all respects, running away from your responsibility."

I shook my head, trying to steady the rumbling of my knees and finding no success in that endeavor, sat back down.

"It is unfortunate that I have been forced to bring up such subjects in an aggressive manner. After all, although you may not consider us as such, we're friends. However, it is imperative that you understand that what you're doing is destructive behavior that puts us all in danger. As such, I think that all pleasantries must be dispersed with and that the main subject of our conversation is prioritized. Any personal feelings of my own would only cloud the clarity of my speech."

He took out his phone to check the time.

"Well, I should be heading back." He began to walk away but suddenly stopped and turned back towards me. "Let me repeat myself. What you are doing potentially leads to the destruction of the world as we know it. Please think upon this. Action does not need to be taken today but soon, for everyone's sake."

---

The rest of school was spent in a melancholy mood. I didn't go back to the clubroom, instead opting to walk straight home. Unexpectedly, Asakura was waiting for me at the gate. My mood instantly lifted and I waved to her as I approached.

"No afterschool activities?" I asked.

"Nope! What about you? You're heading home way earlier than usual."

"Well, I didn't go to the clubroom today. I'm too tired for that."

"Oh, is that so?" She took my hand and wrapped my arm over her. She was propping me up with her body as if I was wounded. "Then I'll make it a little easier for you."

"Much obliged."

We walked silently for some time. This was certainly good news. Although body contact could mean a variety of things, I tend to read my horoscopes auspiciously. If it was true, then things were moving along faster than I imagined. What was next, a first date followed by a hotel? If Taniguchi was here, I'm sure he'd be crying.

"Kyon, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

I found myself holding my breath. Could this be some question of incredible magnitude? Of course, the odds were one in a million. This was what, our second day? Yet I already found myself lost in a fantasy land. Asakura Ryoko's power was far more impressive than anything I had seen in the SOS Brigade.

"What do you think of Suzumiya?"

The impact hit me hard in the abdominals, almost deflating me instantly but I held on and laughed it off. "Oh, you've been thinking about that? No need to worry. Although I'm caught up in her stupid club, I have no interest in her or the club at all. She's just another classmate to me."

A gust of wind blew up then, causing us to cover our faces for a time. It lasted for a full minute before finally dying down and then I noticed Ryoko's expression had dampened a little bit.

"Oh, I see."

Suddenly her face brightened. "Oh! Have you seen Kimimura Ichiro's new promotional video?"

"Blue Bird? Yeah, I saw it last night..."

---

The walk home was uneventful if you consider that I made it home in fifteen minutes and we parted with all our limbs intact. However, it was exciting all the same. This was the kind of thing you see in high school dramas. Walking home with a cute girl pressed to your side making small talk about nothing yet enjoying each other's company to the fullest.

That was what high school was about. You can't experience moments like these once you enter the real world.

I laid in bed, rolling around in these warm thoughts. The troubles and burdens laid down by Koizumi earlier had almost completely faded away by now and I laughed at how concerned I had been earlier in the day. No, who can care about the destruction of the world when you're experiencing a real-life TV moment?

Such were my thoughts as I finally faded into sleep. Forget Koizumi. Forget Haruhi. This is all I need.

Yet one thing bothered me. As we passed the park near my house, I saw a yellow ribbon tied around the swingset. 


	4. Chapter 4

To say that the week following was pleasant would be quite an understatement. Taniguchi's futile persuasions offered me a good measure of daily humor and there was something in Kunikida's wistful sighing that would have been less funny and more worrisome if I hadn't already known the cause. It wasn't quite all roses, however. The envy of my fellow males brought with it a few burdens I'd rather pass on, and the restraint of her busy schedules was another irritation I could live without.

In fact, the topic of my classmates came up once. She laughed it off.

"Well, at least the girls don't hate you. In fact, a lot of them are starting to become interested, out of curiosity."

Although I hadn't noticed any changes in my level of popularity, I couldn't argue with her. She was the class rep, after all.

The remaining days of the school year continued to pass without incident, but somewhere in my gut I had the feeling that there was something incredibly wrong with the world. It was nothing major, but rather I began to notice several small inconsistencies. There was also an underlying feel of dread that hit me whenever I was with Asakura. As if something wasn't completely honest about her.

The silence from the SOS Brigade was troubling as well. Other than my brief discussion with Koizumi my contact with the club had been absolutely nil for almost a month now. Not that I wanted to admit to myself that I was worried, but I couldn't help but think about it. Haruhi was, if nothing else, a tyrant. The thought of the iron-fisted queen letting one of her playthings escape from her grasp was something contradictory to what I knew of the human psyche, at odds with the laws of physics, and stood in opposition with the rest of reality.

Such thoughts compelled me to return to the club room. I picked a particular day and headed to the old shack at the first ring of the lunch bell. Standing in front of the door, I pondered all the possible outcomes. Perhaps everyone would act as if I'd never left and business would continue as usual.

If Koizumi was to be believed, then perhaps Haruhi would strike me down for my insolence.

I swallowed my discomfort. After all, there couldn't possibly be anything worse than what she's already put me through. I was here to see what was up and nothing more. Yet I still hesitated.

Finally, on what was more an impulse decision, I forced myself to grasp the doorknob and open it. It was locked.

What a waste of my time.

---

Seeing as my current plans were put on hold, I decided to detour to a rather unsuspecting bench in a rather unsuspecting portion of the school. Sometimes even I needed a break from the rather mundane problems of my close friends. It was a rather cloudy day, but a nice breeze rolled through the midday gaggle of high school students. Nice weather to sit outside in.

Pretty nice weather for girl watching, too.

If only there had been a Society for the Advancement of Optical Research Equipment or something of that nature. I might not have been involved in this whole SOS Brigade business to begin with.

As group of girls from the Flower Arrangement Club walked past my attention was drawn to a lone tree in whose shadow lay the recumbent figure of Suzumiya Haruhi. Daydreaming wasn't really an aspect of Haruhi's nature that I was well-acquainted with, but as I thought about it I couldn't really find any other alternatives.

Although it was probably against my best judgment, my first instinct was to approach her.

"Yo," I greeted.

"Oh, it's you."

"Are you disappointed?"

"No, not really."

We arrive at an impasse in the conversation four lines in. I'm instantly reminded of my initial conversations with Haruhi. Has time bent around itself? If Asahina-san didn't seem so harmless I'd be keen to place the blame on her. Well, one can never be sure around the SOS Brigade.

It was Haruhi who broke the silence. "Did you need something?"

Well, for starters I'd like to know what happened to the real Haruhi. Did Nagato take her away in a spaceship and leave you here as some sort of joke? Has she ascended to the heavens to rule over Itsuki and his fellow espers? Wherever she is she's not right here. This is a fake!

"No brigade meeting today?"

"There's nothing to do so I didn't really see the point." She closed her eyes, signaling the end of that subject.

Another few moments passed in silence. Then I decided to act on an impulse.

"Hey Haruhi, come with me."

"What? Where?"

"I'm not exactly sure myself." 


	5. Chapter 5

If you were to ask me right now if I had wanted to turn back the clock to change the way I had lived my life, I would outright refuse. Not that I didn't possess a great desire to correct the mistakes I had accumulated over the past sixteen years. I am no hero, nor someone pretending to be one. However, at the current rate of things I predict that in the next week one of two things will happen: I will find out that I am somehow connected to more supernatural beings than previously estimated, or that through some mundane act I save the universe. 

Even if I had a proper plan to foolproof my life against the whims of seemingly normal everyday schoolgirls, inexplicably something would happen. That was the kind of power I'm up against. No amount of planning can circumvent divine decree. If I were to declare checkmate, the board would be thrown up in the air, pieces scattered across the floor. With no small portion of certainty do I say that I would likely be the one picking up the pieces.

From time to time I stop to think and wonder whether any of this is my fault. Perhaps it's my indecisiveness, my "let the wind carry us" attitude. Then I remember I don't have that kind of attitude under all outward appearances. I am merely resigning myself to the only choice available. It's tricky, maintaining your sanity while operating under a supposedly predetermined pretense. Sometimes I like to imagine that I still have free will.

So I ran all the way across the city to its pride, the domed stadium that went up only what, three years ago? Within its walls I may have made one of the biggest mistakes ever.

Of course, I can't really imagine what is a mistake anymore. Recently I've found myself lacking in assurance and determination. My decisions have been somewhat arbitrary, and rather than following the desires of the heart or any other applicable organs I've been operating more or less on whim.

So I made a phone call that Sunday morning, and I arrived in the park in accordance with the arrangement I made, right on time.

She, of course, was punctual as well. She wore a simple shirt and pants today and while that was not as alluring as many of the other outfits I've seen her in it was enough to make me almost doubt my cause. I remained resolute, despite the doubt running across my countenance and I addressed her in what was surprisingly a calm manner.

"Look," I said. "I don't think this is going too well."

"What isn't going too well?"

"This thing." I gesticulated in a way which was the least likely to get my point across. "You know, us."

She tilted her head. "It's not? That's impossible. Everything I've done has been calculated to within one hundredth percent."

"Wait, what?"

"Silly."

She smiled up at me and just from that I could feel my heart starting to race.

"Everything has been arranged without you knowing. This--" She repeated my gesture and I had to bite my tongue to maintain my silence, for it was unbearably cute and terrifying. "--is a statistically successful relationship."

"Statistically...?"

"Actually there were a few options I hadn't considered." She seemed troubled for a moment. "Well, there really was no need to create a potential scene. Everything was within acceptable ranges."

Shock and disbelief mixed in my countenance, topped off with a small dosage of onsetting depression. "Ryoko, what are you talking about?"

She waved off the question. "Forget about it. How was your visit to the dome?"

"You know about that?"

"Relax. Just tell me what happened."

---

It seemed that this week I had been plagued with some sort of anemic disorder. Not that I had been suffering in the physical sense but I could recall several moments over the past few days where I had blacked out for at least a two second span. It wasn▓t a particularly long period of time and I freely admit that I▓m not exactly a bastion of good health but the frequency of these episodic bouts of unconsciousness roused a small bit of concern. At the advice of a knowledgeable friend I began taking dietary supplements, hoping that they would alleviate the symptoms of what I had assumed, no, prayed was a temporary problem.

In hindsight, I could easily have guessed that my current bout with luck would deny me any such comfort. Oh, well. I was quite surprised that in my mad dash out of school and into the city, dragging a bewildered and quite possibly angry brigade chief behind me, that my problems seemed to continue stacking themselves. It was quite a miracle actually, that despite my wavering consciousness my body proved quite capable in maintaining a straight path to that destination that on a whim I felt compelled to go.

If only I knew where it was.

Although my initial reaction was one of defeat, a few moments thought convinced me that despite what was going on I should give in to what would be the quintessential human reaction and panic.

I doubted that what I was doing looked good. A young man dragging a girl behind him was a rather suspect scene, and her protests weren't helping at all.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Where are you taking me?"

"Stop, you're pulling too hard. Let go!"

I didn't reply. Eventually she resigned herself to the notion that I wouldn't deviate from our path and stopped protesting. This brought about a measure of relief, but sparked a new worry.

Do I even trust myself that much?

We stopped at a busy intersection and for the first time during the entire trip I looked up. The crowded thoroughfare was a familiar one and the sight of it brought back memories.

"Ah," I said aloud. "I wanted to come to the stadium."

I let go of her hand and began to make my way across the street. I was walking at a relaxed pace now, no longer feeling a sense of urgency in the back of my mind. In fact it was exactly the opposite. Everything seemed very clear now.

Haruhi hesitated for a second, then followed after me.

---

It was empty, of course. We climbed to the highest seats and I stared out over the empty building.

"Have you ever been here, Haruhi?" I asked.

"One time before." She answered, a hint of bitterness on the tip of her tongue. "I didn't like it."

"Oh?"

It struck me as something of great interest, this subtle hint of emotion. Out of all the things in the world, Haruhi did not announce displeasure with many things. There had to be something significant with this event.

"It was in elementary school. My family went to a baseball game. At the time I had no particular interest in baseball, but when I arrived, I was in absolute shock. The number of people filling the stadium was stunning, I had never seen anything like that before in my life. All these seats, each holding a person. There were so many I couldn't pick out individuals. I asked my dad how many people there were and he estimated around fifty thousand. Considering that pales in comparison to the actual population of Japan and even that is a tiny drop in the bucket known as the world, it was disheartening. I thought that I was special, unique amongst everybody. That moment made me understand how insignificant everyone is, and I still think about it a lot."

I almost laughed. That was enough to bring our brigade chief down? That was all it took?

"Haruhi, look at this place now. Even though you were amazed by how many people filled up this stadium, isn't the lack of people equally impressive?"

She followed my gaze as I tried to lead her in coming around to my point of view, but she didn't understand.

"It's like the outside world doesn't exist right now," I told her. "After all, you can't see it right now can you? Can't hear it right now? All you know about the outside is just a collection of memories. Without the sights and sounds of the outside world, we might as well be the only two people in existence. Just us."

Then I yelled her name at the top of my lungs.

"Idiot!" She started hitting my arm. "What are you doing? I'm right here."

"Listen."

My shout was still echoing, bouncing off the ceiling and the empty chairs. I saw a brief glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

"If I wasn't significant, any old guy could have brought you here to show you this. If you weren't significant then it could have been any old girl standing here with me."

For the first time ever, Haruhi seemed embarassed and confused. For the first time in a while, I remembered that she was cute.

I checked my watch. "Oh, school's just about over. Guess that was all I wanted to show you, sorry for taking up your time."

I made to leave but her voice stopped me. "On excursions, brigade members should ensure that their superiors arrive at home safely."

"Oh, is that a new rule?"

---

"More or less, that was what happened."

"Ah, so that's how it was. Good to know."

Asakura smiled at me again.

"That's it then."

"That's what?"

"Our relationship. That's it."

I was suddenly confused. "Wait, I didn't--"

She placed a finger on my lips. "Kyon, hush. The reason I originally approached you was in order to collect certain data, I had to set some things in motion. Everything went according to plan so you should return to your normal life."

My life wasn't exactly normal, but how could she say that?

"I know it seems a little bit cold but," she pointed behind me, "I think you'll manage."

I followed her finger and saw, standing not 30 feet away, Haruhi. I walked up to her, fearing that she saw me with Asakura.

"Haruhi, what are you doing here?"

"What, are you stupid? You're the one who asked me to come."

Chalk up another member of Haruhi's circus.


End file.
